MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Colbert is away from late-night TV following emergency surgery last week — the comedian's appendix burst. That made us wonder: What does the appendix do for our body? And why are ...

The appendix is an organ we tend not to think about until it acts up, causes illness and needs to be removed surgically.

Many Americans grew up with the idea their appendix is an unnecessary organ, made obsolete by evolution. But in the last 20 years or so, scientists have come to believe the appendix serves a purpose, ...

Q I had a pain on the right side of my abdomen. A CT scan found a perforated appendix with an abscess. I was treated with IV antibiotics, and now I am feeling fine. Do I need to have my appendix taken ...